In the meantime, the city's mayor and school superintendent are pretty convinced it's all but a done deal.

The legislation still has to clear a few more important political hurdles before the school system can claim victory.

Those who have been a part of negotiations over school construction tell WBAL-TV 11 News the district will get some financial help.

Dr. Nathan Pitts Ashburton Elementary Middle School is the last new school built in Baltimore City. That was 15 years ago. Now the city, with help from the Stadium Authority, is making plans to build more than a dozen new schools over the next decade because of a school construction bill now on the fast track to pass the General Assembly.

The mayor, who is putting more than $20 million in next year's budget for school construction, is giving the deal a thumbs up.

"I'm very pleased with the progress that's been made in the legislature. We've worked really hard with the leadership in the House and the Senate, as well as with the governor to put before the legislature a proposal that can pass," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

The mayor is counting on revenue from her bottle tax and slots to help pay for school construction. School officials must also come up with $20 million. They believe savings from closing old and underused building will allow them pay their share.

"We looked in our budget, made our projections, did what we do every single year, which is try and figure out, 'Can we hold our schools harmless and is this good for our schools?'" Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Andres Alonso said.

Alonso said he believes they can do it.

The school system had lobbied for a yearly block grant to pay for construction cost. The ACLU, which worked alongside a number of grassroots organization, said what's on the table now has all the features of a block grant.

"The city, the state, the school system are all putting in money, and that money will be leveraged to borrow up to $1 billion and that's the same concept as a block grant. The point is to use the money now to build the buildings so that students and teachers can benefit," said Be Be Verdery with the ACLU.

If the bill passes, the first new Baltimore City school building could open to students as early as 2015.

A bizarre situation is unfolding in Baltimore in which people are paying rent to a landlord who claims he's helping fill the need for affordable housing, but there are serious questions about the living conditions inside, as well as who actually owns the homes.